What each club hopes to get out of the run home

Essendon premiership player

Different perspectives: While John Longmire's Sydney Swans are flying, for Alan Richardson's battling Saints, the only way is up.

The heat on Carlton’s Mick Malthouse has highlighted the pressure cooker that AFL coaches operate in as they try to plot a course forward for their clubs.

There are 10 clubs vying for September action and the rest are working towards bigger things next year. Who will make the top four? The top eight? Who is on the verge of retirement? Which club has the best young talent? Who needs to be let go and what hard choices need to be made on and off-field?

All those questions have got me thinking about the challenges for each club over the coming weeks. Some clubs are planning for September, some are planning for 2015, but all have one question in mind: how do we get better?

SYDNEY

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Not only does John Longmire have the most in-form team in the AFL, he also has the most settled, with the Swans using just 30 players this season, the least in the competition. The Swans look certain to host a home final, and with Hannebery, Tippett and Shaw to add to the mix there is no doubting that the Swans are the team to beat for the big one. Defence, midfield and the forward line all look imposing. The only danger from here is that they have peaked too early.

FREMANTLE

As the loss to St Kilda shows, the one big question remains: do they have the ability to kick 15 goals to put themselves in contention to win on grand final day? The answer may reveal itself in the last month of the season when the Dockers play Geelong, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide. In Freo’s four losses this year they have kicked 11, 11, eight and 11 goals, so as good as Ross Lyon’s men are playing, the doubts remain as to whether the king of the defensive game can take them one step further this year.

HAWTHORN

Hawks fitness guru Andrew Russell and his medical team are as important as coach Alastair Clarkson in the next six weeks. Injured and underdone players get exposed in finals football, and getting games into Gibson, Lake, Sewell, Hill and Rioli (if available) is so important if the Hawks are to be any chance of going back-to-back. The Hawks have been remarkable this year and Clarko’s men still look hungry for success - and they will need to be as they have the toughest run home.

GEELONG

The ever-present Cats loom as the wildcard to upset the top three, but they would want to improve significantly if they have to play an away final in the first week because they have won just one of five on the road this year. Steve Motlop’s last fortnight makes the Cats a significantly better side but another premiership tilt still rests on the fitness of senior players Selwood, Johnson and Taylor, who have played sore in the past month. Remaining in the top four would be the goal for coach Chris Scott from here.

PORT ADELAIDE

It’s simple for the Power, who haven't wanted to get their hands and knees dirty over the past five weeks: regain the desire and desperation to hunt the ball again. The imperative to win the contested ball would be getting rammed down their throats this week, as they have dropped from third to 17th in that area in the past month. Getting Trengove and Carlile back will help enormously, but it’s time Ken Hinkley’s men got nasty again. They get their chance to get back on track by putting Melbourne to the sword on Sunday.

NORTH MELBOURNE

The Roos have beaten Sydney, Hawthorn, Fremantle and Port Adelaide. This is a very good football side that still has massive lapses in games - as shown on Friday night against Carlton. This weakness will be the major focus for coach Brad Scott and the senior players: bridge the gap between the good and bad games in the lead-up to September. Getting a home final and winning it should be the minimum expectation for North this season. Given the improvement in so many of North Melbourne’s mid-tier players.

ESSENDON

I’m big on this: not winning a final for a decade is not good enough for the Essendon Football Club. The past fortnight has proven that the Bombers are well and truly capable of breaking that drought if they can hold their form. Coach Mark Thompson looks to be operating "in the zone", the defence is irrepressible and Dyson Heppell is a gun. For all that, the key may well be Jake Carlisle and his improvement as a forward given that the Bombers’ lack of scoring has been their biggest weakness this year.

COLLINGWOOD

An AFL season is a marathon and it’s been a dramatic fall from grace for the Pies since the round 13 loss to the Bulldogs. Not playing in the finals would be a major embarrassment for everyone at Collingwood, and while the future looks quite bright, the short term requires the senior members of the Magpies team to play with the vigour and hunger they are capable of. The source of at least some of the struggle looks to be between the ears and this is a huge challenge for coach Nathan Buckley to address. Next week’s match against the Crows is almost an elimination final.

GOLD COAST

The Suns have a favourable draw, which should enable them to play finals football for the first time in the club’s history despite the absence of the great Gary Ablett. The response to the Ablett injury will tell coach Guy McKenna so much about the mental strength and quality of his group. He has been working towards a team that is not a one-man show and the coming weeks will clarify how far he has got with that project. The responsibility rests with Swallow, Prestia, Bennell and O’Meara, who have the opportunity over the next six weeks to show everyone just how good they are.

ADELAIDE

The Crows have a soft run home yet they have lacked consistency all year and find themselves in a vulnerable position. Coach Brenton Sanderson has four or five guns in his team but lacks depth - something exposed by Hawthorn last week. It's a huge game for the Crows against the Pies next week, and if they lose, Sanderson will have to start planning for 2015.

WEST COAST

The Eagles have beaten who they should have beaten, but they have fallen well short against the teams above them. Darren Glass has retired and Dean Cox may well follow him at the end of the season so it’s a transitional period for coach Adam Simpson, who realises that the Eagles are a long way off the top six. Getting a quick midfielder through the trade or draft should be the priority in the off-season.

RICHMOND

Who would want to be a sports psychologist working with the Tigers? It wouldn’t surprise me to see Richmond come home with a wet sail, but that would only frustrate their fans. Once again a mid-season lapse has cost the Tigers. The last six rounds should be about coach Damien Hardwick establishing the game style that consistently works best for his group - that template was on show during the victory over Port Adelaide last week.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

The Bulldogs have had a frustrating year, yet the past month has been fruitful. They have injected speed into the side and finally got the balance of youth and experience right. There is some real quality coming through, but the Dogs can’t get comfortable with a few good wins. They must challenge Essendon, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Sydney in the run home to prove that 2014 has been a turning point.

CARLTON

The Blues' win against North Melbourne was their best of the season and their first win in eight attempts against sides in the top eight. Mick Malthouse polarises people, but he is a fighter. Gibbs, Yarran and Rowe have all improved this year, but the weakness in the list is the lack of quality youth. A rebuild is their only option.

GWS

One more win to get to five for the season would be a solid year for the Giants. The key over this off-season should be to keep their first-round selections intact while retaining players who may want to go home and others who may be the subject of poaching. This will be a challenge, but managing the list will be vital if the Giants are to emulate the Suns' improvement in the next 12 months.

MELBOURNE

The Demons can defend but can’t score, and while it’s been a positive year under Paul Roos, Melbourne would love another win in the run home, and they have the opportunity with winnable games against Brisbane in round 19 and GWS in round 21. Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince and Daniel Cross have all been successful recruits, but the future will be built around young key forward Jesse Hogan. Let’s hope he can get some luck.

BRISBANE LIONS

First-year coach Justin Leppitsch will continue to expose his new breed of lions to senior experience as that is his only option. There is a lot to like about Aish, Taylor, Mayes, Green and Clarke, and with Rich and Leuenberger back next year, the Lions can be much more optimistic about their position than they were after the mass exodus at the end of last season.

ST KILDA

Despite the upset win over Fremantle, the end of this season can’t come soon enough. The Saints lack elite players in all three areas of the ground and they will look forward to draft day with most likely the No.1 draft selection. Key Forward Paddy McCartin looks likely to be that choice as the Saints look to life after Nick Riewoldt.